Bunk to Roller Trailer Question

[gman1001]

Hi there, my 1988 18' sits on the original Magic Loader aluminum bunk trailer which is in pretty good shape. All told, $200 invested in replacing old rusty bolts with stainless bolts etc... would make it a tip top trailer.

A friend wants to GIVE ME a 6yr old VENTURE galvanized roller trailer. It has white plastic fenders and pulse brakes.

The bunk trailer is great BUT two things stink about it.
1) taking it off the trailer even at high tide takes 3 men. The freagin thing sticks to the bunks!
2) Trailer floats, if your not smart about how which side of a dock you use, you'll find the trailer moving out at a right angle with the tide. major PITA.

SO, the question, what do I need to consider when changing trailers? Do I need to find tune the orientation of the rollers for my boat?

The previous owner used the trailer for his old Mako 20. I'm concerned my SC 18 with deeper V will hit the cross bars on the trailer.

Any thoughts on trailer setup appreciated.

Garrett

[castalot]

Hi here yourself
I had bunk trailers before went to rollers and haven't looked back I can load and unload my 23' by myself no problem
Yes you might have to adjust the rollers to fit the way you want so you won't hit the cross bars loading also the more rollers the better if the trailer only has a few rollers I would pass or add more
Plus with the roller trailer you don't have to go as deep to launch and retrieve the boat so no floating
Good luck

[jongolds]

Garret,

I sold the Owens & Sons bunk trailer that came with my Tsunami to get a Venture roller trailer. The Owens & Sons was with out question a higher quality trailer but the bunks were just too difficult to deal with at the Vets park ramps. With a roller trailer you'll be able to single hand loading/unloading your 18' if you have too.

That said, if you want to keep your bunk trailer you can try lubricating the bunks to help it slide better and I've heard of people adding weights to the trailer to keep it from floating.

Either way you decide, I have a neighbor with an 18' Key West that might be interested in which ever trailer you don't want. If you'd be interested in getting rid of one, let me know and I'll put you in touch.

-Jon

[FELLOW-SHIP]

Different strokes for different SeaCraft guys.

I am the other way I love bunk trailers have had both and for me bunks is the way to go.





I sink my trailer and the boat slides off and at the end of the day drive the boat back onto the trailer.

FellowShip

………………………….

Just for the Grins

Official 23’ SF Antique Classic SeaCraft Owner

[DonV]

Yes Sir, I'm on your side. Once the bunks are adjusted just outside of the chines at the transom and the guide on posts are right against or about half an inch outside the rub rails...piece of cake. I maintain my bearings, springs, etc. on a regular basis so it does not bother me to back the trailer in the water.

[gman1001]

1973Tsunami, you nailed it - the Vets park ramp is brutal for my launching! Getting the boat on the floating trailer is no problem as I just hit it with a little bit of speed and I'm on. Launching is the thing.

I guess I only want to make sure that the support offered by the rollers will be adequate.

1973Tsunami, I should know in a month or so which trailer I'm going to keep. here's the Rub - my magic loader is a NY trailer. Its rated for 3100 pounds which in lovely CT means inspection and brakes are required. I have all the paperwork from the previous owner. I've been risking getting pulled over going for my short ride to the ramp.

Also converting the Magic Loader to have breaks seems silly to me as my 18 prob. hovers right around the 3klb mark and is fine to tow without brakes.

[cdavisdb]

Unloading a seacraft from a floating bunk trailer:

Something you might want to try, but DON"T overdo it. Have a rope/winch cable with several feet of slack in it. Very important, don't do this until after the trailer is part way in the water. Back down very slowly until the trailer is deep enough and hit the brakes. Boat should slide off no problem. After securing ropes to the dock, detach the boat from the winch cable and drive away. I launch my 25 single handed like this. It also will stick to the bunks because the trailer floats. It takes a bit of experimentation to find the right combination of depth and rope slack.

If the above procedure doesn't work easily, the ramp is too shallow for a bunk trailer, the trailer is badly adjusted or there is some other problem that has nothing to do with bunks per se.

Note: be careful with this or you can end up with your boat sitting on the concrete, ruin your day.

[76Red18]

Different strokes for different SeaCraft guys.

I am the other way I love bunk trailers have had both and for me bunks is the way to go.





I sink my trailer and the boat slides off and at the end of the day drive the boat back onto the trailer.

FellowShip

………………………….

Just for the Grins

Official 23’ SF Antique Classic SeaCraft Owner

My thoughts exactly!

[76Red18]

Yes Sir, I'm on your side. Once the bunks are adjusted just outside of the chines at the transom and the guide on posts are right against or about half an inch outside the rub rails...piece of cake. I maintain my bearings, springs, etc. on a regular basis so it does not bother me to back the trailer in the water.

Adjustment is the key. Another note on adjustment, keep the bunks as low as possible. My boat sits low enough on the trailer that the skeg hits the ground. Most setups I see, don't sit low enough.

Something else I've noticed on this forum about trailers is that there is a "regional" preference between bunk and roller setups. Maybe theres a difference in our ramp construction.

[ggreeby]

Gentle people, The rollers used on boat trailers are designed to carry 80- 120 lbs each. Therfore how many ,and where the are located is quite important. George.